Vol. 7, No. 3, 2001 Page 2 
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Vol. 7, No. 3, 2001 Page 2 |
"Sufficient evidence exists to hypothesize that exposure to neurotoxins may be a risk factor for
antisocial behavior. Neurotoxins such as lead have been demonstrated to affect the cognitive
development of children, and impaired cognition is accepted as a risk factor for antisocial
behavior.... Elucidation of this risk factor may lead to new strategies for preventing or mitigating
antisocial behaviors among youth and adults."
Benjamin L. Preston et al.,
in Journal of Environmental Health,
May 1, 2001
"The literature now contains more than 50 studies from at least 10 different countries that
demonstrate an adverse consequence of exposure to low levels of lead on neuropsychiatric
function..... IQ is not the only aspect of neuropsychiatric function which appears to be affected
adversely by lead. There have now been several reports of behavioral effects such as
hyperactivity and attention deficits, and these effects on behavior appear to last beyond
childhood."
James Linakis, in the
Brown University Child and
Adolescent Behavior Letter, April 2000.
Linakis also notes that "lead poisoning
is one of the most common pediatric
health problems in the United States,
and it is entirely preventable."